[cheers] he said these steps were a source of inspiration for him as he toiled through physical therapy sessions. >> i just thought about the capitol has an awful lot of steps. that would be a good symbolic goal for me. and to me it's about setting goals almost every month that our big enough and meaningful for me. [. [ applause ] tonight his steps are a source of inspiration for everyone else. >> i would say, i would thank the people of illinois for the patience with this patient. >> bret: there are things that are wrong with this city. there are things that are wrong with politics but that walk today, those clapping senators from both sides of the aisle is a glimpse at what can be right. thanks for inviting us into your home tonight. that is is it for this "special report." fair, balanced and unafraid.

4:01pm

>> jon: this is "the fox report." tonight, google's boss apparently planning a trip to north korea. why he wants to go and what the obama administration says about it. plus, john boehner holds on to the speaker's gavel. >> jon: new year, new congress. >> the chair will administer the oath of office. >> the nation's lawmakers today sworn in at ceremonies on capitol hill. but serious divisions remain, including some potential cracks within the republican party. tonight. the house speaker's difficult road ahead after the fiscal cliff. and tomorrow's promised vote on aide for victims of super storm sandy. plus, the students of sandy hook elementary head back to school for the first time since last month's massacre in newtown. >> they wanted to see their teachers and they just want, like we all want, normalcy. >> jon: across the line in new york, a legal battle is brewing over a newspaper's

4:02pm

controversial request to publish the names of gun permit holders. tonight, a county clerk stands his ground. >> that's seriously not even funny. >> dramatic winter rescue after a half dozen people fall into a frozen lake. i'm jon scott in for shepard smith. house speaker john boehner hangs on to his gavel and a new congress gets to work after a wild ending to the last congress. the speaker was facing opposition from some of his fellow republicans over the fiscal cliff deal and for scrapping a vote on aid for victims of super storm sandy. at one point today more than two dozen house republicans said they might not vote to reelect him as speaker. that could have been enough to force a second ballot for the first time since 1923. speaker boehner survived the first round of voting. >> the honorable john boehner from the state of ohio having received the majority of the votes cast is duly elected speaker of the house of representatives for the 113th

4:03pm

congress. [cheers] >> jon: the vote was not unanimous one republican congressman says the house still has a hangover from the last session. mike emanuel is live on capitol hill. so, mike, when it was all over, how did that vote break down. >> jon, 9 people voted for somebody else. three chose to stay out of it. of the nine who voted for somebody else, three backed house majority leader eric cantor. cantor did not lead a g.o.p. revolt. he voted for boehner. after winning back the gavel, boehner issued this warning to the new house. >> public service was never meant to be an easy living. extraordinary challenges demand extraordinary leadership. so if you have come here to see your name in the lights or to pass off a political victory as some accomplishment, you have come to the wrong place. the door is right behind you. >> we are told the speaker will also engage in a new strategy in his new congress, he will not engage in v.i.p.

4:04pm

talks one-on-one with president obama. we are told he is going to refocus on the procedures of the house and allowing the house to work its will, jon. >> jon: the top democrat in the house. what did she have to say? >> well, she wanted -- nancy pelosi wanted to welcome the new members and their families and also try to inspire some of the people who have been here a long time. here is a sample. >> the strength of our democracy rests on a strong and thriving middle class. the backbone of our democracy that middle class is. so we have a moral imperative to invest in good paying jobs here at home and in the prosperity of our people. as we build our infrastructure and we reduce the deficit. >> now the word invest she used means more government spending. expect that to be an ongoing fight, jon? >> jon: after the big uproar, i guess the house will vote on at least some aid for sandy

4:05pm

victims? >> that's right. we expect the house will take up $9 billion for sandy victims tomorrow. and the senate will as well. and then speaker boehner says on january 15th, the first full legislative day the house will consider another $51 billion. the bottom line is house republicans say they want to make sure the money goes to the victims and super storm sandy reconstruction and not other pet projects, jon. >> jon: mike emanuel in the capitol right now. thank you. >> thank you. >> jon: it is also the first day of a brand new senate. majority leader harry reid is talking about making a big change to rules there opponents are calling it the nuclear option. and for one senator, just walking up the steps of the capitol today was a huge victory. we'll go back live to capitol hill. coming up on "the fox report." the new congress will be getting off to a running start in 2013. tomorrow there could be a vote on aide for victims of super storm sandy as i just mentioned. looming large on the horizon immigration reform. president obama has said

4:06pm

repeatedly immigration will be a priority in his second term. after all, hispanic voters helped him retake the white house. that was clearly a wakeup call for republicans who have been trying to win over hispanics albeit with limited success. just yesterday, homeland security secretary janet napolitano announced a new rule that will make it easier for families to stay together during the long green card process. james rosen is live in washington with more. james, break down this new rule for us. what are they talking about here? >> well, jon, the department of homeland security tells fox news that they expect upwards of 25,000 illegal immigrants to seek to take advantage of this relaxed rule this year. those who came here illegally but who, let's say, married an american citizen, have a clean criminal record and can prove a hardship by their extended absence will no longer have to leave the u.s. for both application for a green card. during stage i,applying for what's called a waiver of

4:07pm

admissibility, they can stay here. however, they will still have to return to their home country for an interview by the state department. >> well the dh rule on itself is good policy because our system of immigration system, even the legal system is completely antiquated so you have spouses, children, and parents of u.s. citizens who now may be barred from 3 to 10 years from even applying to come back into the united states. >> most of those affected are from mexico. officials say that for those who qualify, the wait time will now decrease from those 3 to 10 years to a matter of weeks, john. >> jon: i know the president though has plenty of critics who are arguing that he is not only exercising power that belongs to another branch of government but he is also going back on his word. >> even proponents of immigration reform find it curious that the president is tackling this issue in a kind of piecemealed fashion. something he previously pledged he wouldn't do. and then there are those who

4:08pm

feel he is usurping congressional power. ruling they claim by executive order and rule changes. >> he is simply saying i don't like this law in this area of immigration. namely that if you live here illegally for a number of years. you are barred from getting a green card. is he now going to waive that provision and set the law aside simply because he doesn't like it. there is no difference between this kind of thing that the president has donathan a future president coming in and saying i don't think that the capital gains tax is a good tax. >> last june, the president announced a change in the rule to recover governing the deportation of people who were brought to the u.s. illegally as children, jon. >> jon: so can we expect that the president will bring some kind of broader immigration reform package to the congress this year? >> you can probably take that to the bank. the president promises such since election day and today brought a renewal of that pledge by one of the country's top immigration officials.

4:09pm

>> take it from me, the present system doesn't work well. the laws have not kept up with reality and i think everybody on both sides of the aisle realizes that now is the time to really make a serious effort at reform. >> the new rule that was announced yesterday will take effect in march. jon? >> jon: james rosen in washington. james, thank you. >> thank you. >> jon: secretary of state hillary clinton is raring to go and planning to be back at work next week. that is the word from the state department. doctors released the secretary from a hospital in new york city yesterday. they say they expect her to make a full recovery from a blood clot in her head. the state department also reports senator john kerry is meeting with staffers and doing his homework to get ready for his confirmation hearings. president obama nominated the massachusetts democrat to replace secretary clinton. she had already said she would not stay on for a second term even before going into the hospital. the state department is apparently not crazy about the head of google visiting north

4:10pm

korea. a spokeswoman says the timing is not helpful. eric schmidt reportedly will be traveling with former u.n. ambassador bill richardson who has a lot of experience with north korea. the associated press reports it will be a private humanitarian mission and could happen sometime this month. sources tell the a.p., richardson wants to talk to the north koreans about the american citizen they claim they arrested for hostile acts against their country. the state department insists it has nothing to do with the trip. an emotional day for students and teachers of sandy hook elementary returning to classless than a month after the deadly shooting. and their governor said today he is taking steps to ensure a massacre of this nature does not happen again. plus, the backlash against a newspaper that published the names and addresses of pistol permit owners, legal ones. now one county says it will not comply with the paper's freedom of information request. from the journalists of fox news, this is "the fox report."

4:11pm

4:12pm

4:13pm

administrators moved everything to the new school right down to the original desks, books and art on the walls. as you know, a gunman shot to death 20 first graders and six educators on december 14th. today police said security was high at the school but that the tragedy did not keep many students away. >> talking to the principal, attendance was very good today. most of the students did come by bus. most of the buses were full. and a lot of the classrooms were full. >> jon: today connecticut governor dan maloy announced the creation of the sandy hook

4:14pm

advisory commission which he says will look into ways to prevent similar tragedies. >> the commission will look for ways to make sure that our gun laws are as tight as they need to be that our mental health system can reach those who are in need of our help. and that our law enforcement agency has -- have the tools that they need to protect public safety, particularly in our schools. >> jon: investigators in connecticut say they still have not determined a concrete motive as to why shooter adam lanza went on his killing spree. meantime, just an hour outside of newtown, a school district went on lockdown today after a man approached a middle school and said he had a gun. it happened this morning in new york's west west chester county. the man tried entering locked side door near the school's pool. according to the local newspaper the journal news. he said he had left an item of clothing there over the weekend. cops say they want to talk to the man who left without ever

4:15pm

getting into the middle school. but he said he would return. the news hit home for our anchor greg jarrett as it unfolded today on "studio b." >> i know the school well. my youngest daughter is inside that school right now on lockdown. my other daughter down the street at the high school. that's on lockdown as well. we got the call, i got the call just before i went on the air here. >> jon: gregg says his family is doing fine. the school district cancelled activities for the rest of the day. officials say they expect a police presence at the school tomorrow. just north of that school the putnam county clerk refused to release the name of residents who have pistol permits. the journal news newspaper which requested the public records can take him to court. the newspaper has sparked inside controversy for publishing the name of gun permit owners in two counties outside new york city. the paper puts the owner's names and addresses on an interactive map on its web

4:16pm

site. the publisher says the public has a right to know who has a gun but the county clerk says while the freedom of information request may be legal, his decision is based on public safety. david lee miller is live in caramel, new york with more. david lee today, county officials held a news conference. >> they did, indeed, jon, during that news conference they heard from the county clerk dennis senne and he received a standing ovation from the many residents who were attending. he said that publishing the names and addresses of people who have a pistol permit in the county is not only an invasion of their privacy, but he said it is also extremely dangerous. he said residence would be put in peril and he specifically cited, for example, women with restraining orders and the many retired and active duty police who live in this community. listen. >> i am not refusing because i want to be some sort of upstar. i'm refusing because i could not live with myself if one of

4:17pm

my pistol permit holders in putnam county had had to face a dangerous situation. >> and although two nearby counties, roth land and west chester counties have handed over the requested information, the county executive in putnam county says no way they are going to fight this all the way through the courts. in her words, no retreat, no surrender. jon? >> jon: so the paper wanted that info. what are they saying? >> the paper is maintaining the same position it has all along. its publisher issued a statement, janet hasan she said and i quote we believe the law is clear that this is public information and the residents of putnam county are entitled to see it. and the executive director of the state agency that provides legal counsel on compliance with the freedom of information act agrees. >> every unit of government, every one of us is supposed to

4:18pm

comply with law. and in this instance there is is a provision actually in the new york state penal law which for years has required the disclosure of the name and address of any licensee who can carry or own or dispose of a firearm. >> and the pistol permit controversy has resulted in a backlash against the paper after receiving many angry phone calls and angry emails, it has hired armed guards to protect its staff. jon? >> jon: david lee miller in caramel, new york, thanks, david. another big settlement over the b.p. oil spill. transocean agreeing to pay $1.4 billion to the feds. the company owned the deep water horizon drilling rig that exploded in the gulf of mexico almost three years ago. the blast killed 11 workers and sent millions of gallons of oil gushing into the gulf. a judge still has to sign off on the settlement. in november, bp agreed to pay a record $4.5 billion in

4:19pm

penalties and plead guilty to criminal charges. so lawmakers finally agreed on a compromise over the fiscal cliff. but that doesn't mean our paychecks have escaped washington's grip. what the cliff deal means for our wallets and purses next. plus, one of the nation's most iconic childhood treats is about to get gobbled up by the company behind a much maligned meat. the future of skippy peanut butter next.

4:20pm

4:21pm

4:22pm

>> the american auto industry just had its best year since 2007. strong december sales helped the big three post gains for 2012. chrysler the smallest american auto maker led the way with 21% jump in sales over 2011. ford up 5%. g.m. up about 4.

4:23pm

and a research form reports american auto sales are on pace to be even stronger this year. the german auto maker volts wagon reported best four year sale in the u.s. since 173. while toyota posted 27% sale flurry of recalls two years after earthquake and tsunami rocked some of its factories. a late holiday spending surge boosting u.s. retailers in december. major stores reporting an unexpected increase in sales. the numbers show americans spent consciously one reports 20 retailers reported an average 4.5% increase from a year ago. the labor department reports new unemployment claims rose last week a spike that is likely skewed because of the holidays, weekly applications jumped by 10,000 to it a total of 372,000. the feds had to estimate

4:24pm

claims in several states where governments were closed for the holidays. that means the department likely will revise those numbers later. a sluggish day on wall street not doing much for 401(k). the s&p lost three points. this comes one day after the fiscal cliff deal sparked the dow's more than a year. while congress may have averted the fiscal cliff for now it still won't keep taxes going up for the majority of americans. analysts say 77% of us are about to it see our paychecks shrink. william la jeunesse payroll taxes are going up. some will see the difference tomorrow paycheck f.i.c.a. deductions which represent your payments into social security and medicare. the new increase effects the withholding rate on payroll taxes which increases to

4:25pm

12.4%. your employer pays half and you pay half. for a single earning $38,000 a year, you will pay 548. that's up $570 a year or $11 a week. if you earn 90,000 you will pay 20,000 over the year or 2400 more than last year. while f.i.c.a. taxes may anger you, all but the wealthiest people get their money back and more. the average worker pays about $345,000 a year -- excuse me over their life anymore f.i.c.a. taxes they will will get 417,000 back in benefits in retirement. >> a pretty large majority of people will see that drop in their net pay in their first paycheck and the others pay be in their second or third during the month of january. >> now 99 pert of taxpayers did not see income taxes go up but some did.

4:26pm

remember the ville find 99%. crunched the numbers and said .7% of america's 143 million tax returns, that's just 1.1 million, will now pay 40% of all federal income taxes. that .be 7% represents individuals earning more than 400,000 or couples earning more than $450,000 a year. they will pay 39.5 income tax rate while 40% or about 60 million americans will have a zero or negative tax liability under this new legislation. jon? >> jon: william la jeunesse in los angeles. thanks. cue up the monte python records the company that owns spam is making a run at a different part of the supermarket. hormel foods announced it's buying skippy peanut butter. sandwich spread is popular in china. hormel hopes he hopes the move will help other company products overseas. here at home he wants to take

4:27pm

it out of the jar and use the things in things like packaged snack foods. opponents are comparing it to an acomic bomb but supporters say a big change could help break some of the gridlock in the senate. plus we will show you how one senator got a hero's welcome as he walked up the steps of the u.s. capitol today. and there is word the u.s. may have interrogated more terrorist suspects in secret overseas prison. details and the response from the feds coming up on "the fox report."

4:28pm

4:29pm

>> jon: a piece of advice that could save your life. can you try to save your buddy after he has fall noon a frozen lake. make sure you tonight fall in as well. that's just what happened to these sledders in a california mountain town. everything was going smoothly at first until the ice started to crack. so here comes a friend to help out. but that person gets too close

4:30pm

and falls right in. a couple minutes later an adult it shows up with a long rope, that should solve the problem, right? nope. he falls in, too. in fact, as many as a dozen people took the plunge. this all happened last week but it's our first look at the video. rescuers eventually pulled everyone to safety. officials have now closed the lake until the end of march. >> cops on the lookout for the crooks who crashed a truck into a store and took off with an atm machine. our top story on a fox trip across america. surveillance video captured the moment the suspects slammed their vehicle through the glass store front in houston. can you see three people get out and grab the atm. an employee says the smash and grab took all of 90 seconds. no hobby hurt. nevada. a plain went up in flames after a rough landing

4:31pm

yesterday after north las vegas airport. it could take investigators months to figure out why the aircraft skidded off the runway. both people on boarding inned to get out before the fire engulfed the cabin. no word of anybody hurt. ohio. identical twin sisters gave birth to baby boys within two hours of each other at a hospital in akron. their due dates were five days apart but one sister went into labor early. their mother says the girls always had a special bond. >> they will go shopping on two totally different occasions not even talking to each other or anything and will end up bringing home the same thing but opposite colors. until this day they do that. >> the new moms say they didn't plan on getting pregnant around the same time it just happened. and that's a fox watch across america. >> i'm jon scott in for shepard smith. this is the fox report. the so-called nuclear option is still an option as a brand

4:32pm

new senate gets to work. vice president joe biden swearinged in the senators today and majority leader harry reid is talking about changing the rules. opponents call it the nuclear option because it would limit the republican's power to use filibusters to block bills they don't like doug mckelway live on he says is he open to debating the rule change. >> is he open to debating it but republicans are fearful of the nuclear option. it would allow the democrats to steam roll legislation right through the senate without fears of republican filibusters at all it would do so by limiting debate with a simple majority vote as opposed to the two thirds vote. which is presently required and has been a long standing senate rule. republican senator bob corker told fox news today. that the use of a nuclear option would be both unprecedented and dangerous. people have been around here

4:33pm

for a while if you change rules you basically have destroyed the senate. it's become like the house and will be a disaster for our country. >> republicans contend that it would allow one of the founder's worse fierce, the tyranny of the majority. and that the senate would no longer be in the words of thomas jefferson the cooling saucer to the hot cup of tea that the is less deliberative house of representatives. now last week a group of senators, 8 republicans, excuse me four republicans and four democrats came up with alternative plan, a compromise that would allow a simple majority voted to begin debate on legislation in exchange for allowing the minority two amendments. that's important because majority leader reid has used his power to block republican amendments today reid said he appreciated the group of eight's work but he left no commitment one way or the other. >> i'm confident we can come to an agreement that allows the senate work to work for efficiently. we have talked again today.

4:34pm

sthearts have come up with their own plan. if he wants to filibuster has to go into the well of the senate and speak for as long as jimmy stewart did and mr. smith goes to washington. just as they did in the old days. but time and the pir film exertion of such an endeavor would make a filibuster much much less likely, jon. >> we saw inspirational moment there today the return of illinois senator mark kirk. >> yes, you recall that senator kirk suffered debilitating stroke just about a year ago that nearly killed him. he has made it his mission over the course of the last year to undergo intense and grueling rehabilitation with the expectation of learning how to walk again so that he could climb the steps of the capitol and come right back here to this building. he did just that today. flanked and aided by his colleagues. they were very very emotional. what a scene it was. some hoped that it's a sign for a better future here not just for senator mark kirk but

4:35pm

for the senate as a whole. john? >> jon: let's hope they are right. doug mckelway, thank you. the white house pushing back against critics of its long overdue regulatory agenda which it just released days before christmas. according to a screenier official quoted in the "washington times" newspaper. the list of new regulations for 2013 is shorter than in recent years. but some watchdogs say there is still something costly and unpleasant for just about every american. shannon bream has more. she is live in our washington newsroom. shannon? >> well, jon, by law the administration is supposed to issue a report about regulations that are in the pipeline that will have a significant economic impact. that is supposed to happen every april and october but those deadlines were never met in 2012. instead, we got the administration's regulatory agenda on the friday afternoon before christmas. according to the american action forum. the estimated cost of implementing the administration's new regulatory agenda is more than $123 billion and would likely require companies to spend

4:36pm

about 13.6 million man hours processing the necessary paperwork. they control the kohl's of the products, they control your living conditions, your work conditions, they limit the kinds of activities that you can do. they limit things that you can do with your own property. >> many of the proposed regulations we'll see in 2013 stem from the new healthcare law and while regulations often do have a very legitimate goal, it is the execution that often gets tricky. >> so a lot of times the regulators will say well, our regulation protects consumer safety or protects public health. but what they don't tell is you that there is a massive hidden cost to a lot of these regulations in the form of job losses, increased colmes of consumer goods and a lot of times those real life consequences get lost in the shuffle. >> and by the way. anyone can submit a comment and weigh in on the proposed regulations. just go to regulations.gov. jon?

4:37pm

>> jon: shannon bream, thank you. >> um-huh. >> jon: new signs the obama administration may have gone after terror suspects abroad without rights to due process. it's a very controversial case and many details are still stop secret. fox news has learned authorities arrested three suspects last year in the small african nation of gentleman beauty. u.s. agencies agents say the men may have ties to operation in somalia. the lawyers spent months in jail without knowing the charges against them. now they are facing trial here in the united states. catherine herridge is live in d.c. for us. catherine, what else do we know about these suspects? >> well, jon, the men are alleged members of the somali terrorist group al shabaab. secret interrogations overseas only became public when documents were unsealed and men briefly appeared in brooklyn court last december. >> the appropriate venue is not to take somebody involved in a civil war in east africa and bring them to the eastern district of new york to be

4:38pm

prosecuted in a criminal court. >>' savitt says there is no evidence that his client who admits al shabaab citing the indictment which includes the blab cet charge of quote expirs to provide material support to a terrorist organization. in a statement justice department spokesman denied allegations of rendition telling fox the suspects were picked up in africa by african authorities and transferred to the u.s. lawfully, jon. >> jon: you are getting new information about the late radical cleric anwar al awlaki? >> within day was the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001. the fbi suspected the american cleric anwar al awlaki may have purchased tickets for the hijackers in the months leading up to the attack. according to heavily redacted fbi records obtained by fox news and obtained by judicial watch. the visa transactions showed purchases for mohammed at that on august 13th, 2001 for an american west airlines flight from washington, d.c. to las

4:39pm

vegas to miami. according to the joint congressional inquiry to 9/11 this is one of atta's final crucial surveillance flights. the records also list the names of others and they appear to be muscle hijackers. >> just a few months later, al awlaki is brought into the pentagon for a meeting as part of a muslim outreach program. not only do the documents show that he was buying tickets for the hijackers, it shows he was the central focus of the fbi's investigation of 9/11. >> in a statement a short time ago, the fbi cautioned against drawing conclusions about the documents saying there is no direct connection between al awlaki and 9/11. judicial watch is now asking the fbi to release a document in its entirety without redactions. for the sake of full transparency. >> thank you. >> you are welcome. al jazeera has taken a huge step to expand presence in the u.s. the challenge will be winning over an american audience.

4:40pm

details on that next. plus, as the fighting rages on in syria, neighboring israel is taking steps to protect itself from extremist groups operating just across the border. >> this is the only thing protecting israel, a rusted barb wire fence. and now the new syrian border, 25 feet tall, steel reinforced and with raiser wire on top. >> the full report from israel's border with syria ahead on "the fox report."

4:41pm

4:42pm

al jars just bought its way into millions of american homes with current tv. al gore co-founded the left leaning network in 2005. he even worked as a political analyst during its recent election night coverage. the network has struggled to bring in ratings and al jazz reportedly plays about $5 million to snap up current which it plans to change into it will call al jazeera, america.

4:43pm

the move could put al jazeera in as many as 40 million households increasing american presence nearly 10 fold. one major cable provider already has pulled the plug. correspondent jonathan hunt live from our new york newsroom. jonathan, this is a major step forward for al jazeera. >> yeah, any way you cut it, it is is certainly that this is what al jazeera's founders have wanted from the very beginning of their launch day. influencing the huge american tv news market. here is the dean of communications at hofstra university. listen. >> they really are trying to compete with the fox newses and cnns and the bbcs and so i think that that's interesting thing. i don't know how many people are going to visit it but it would if people visit it will be interesting to see how that plays out time warner has said

4:44pm

it is canceling contract with current tv and, therefore, will not carry al jazeera. they say that's a commercial rather than a political decision and that they will keep, quote, an open mind. jon? >> jon: current tv founder al gore seems pretty happy about this. >> his slice of that reported $500 million selling price is likely to be pretty large as one of the co-founders. he always -- he also seems to agree with al jazeera's view. he said, for instance, curement tv goals to give voice though those who are not typically geraldo to. speak truth to power to. provide independent and diverse points of view and to tell the stories that no one else is telling. al jazeera, like current, believes that facts and truth lead to a better understanding of the world around us.

4:45pm

in a few months, one imagines that millions of americans will be able to decide for themselves whether they agree with al gore and al jazeera. jon? >> jon: that will be interesting. jonathan hunt, thanks. the syrian government and rebel firefighters reportedly battle it out today near a key military base. [explosion] activists say the syrian military launched the air strike seen in this amateur video. fox news cannot independently confirm. meanwhile dozens of people reportedly are feared dead after a car bomb exploded at a gas station near the capital of damascus. civilian civil war has killed more than 60,000 people since the uprising of bashar assad started in march of 2011. jarl is now working to keep the syrian civil war from spilling on to its soil. the region is not far from

4:46pm

some intense fighting in syria. that's where the israeli army is building a new wall for protection. leland vittert with the news for us. legal land? >> john. the syrian israeli border has been so quiet for decades. the israelis have abandoned many of their outposts here. this is one of the sandbags used to stop rifle rounds for soldiers sitting where i am. we wanted to give you a sense of the going geography here. you see the border fence at the bottom of the hill. a couple yards up there is one of the syrian victims where the civil war rages on. >> now israeli army officers watch, worry, and wait. >> terrorists could infiltrate through the fence. explains lt. colonel marx. >> for decades the only thing protecting israel from syria was this rusted barb wired fence. just the past couple of months they have built this large concrete barrier to prevent tanks or vehicles from being driven up to the border. this steel reinforced fence we have a lattice here it would be very difficult to cut

4:47pm

through. and soon razor wire up on the top to give the israeli army time to get here and stop anyone from coming into israeli territory. the building project for a complete fence is a race against time. recent rebel concessions in syria come on the backs of foreign fighters. many hard core jihadists fighting under the infamous flag. >> our law is islamic rule of sharia said a commander in a video celebrating a new brigade. >> from our position why can hear artillery shells go off in the book ground. while they appear to have their hands full killing each other. the israelis are quickly preparing for the eventuality of the rebels winning and/or syria becoming a failed state and this border once again being the front lines. jon? >> jon: leland vittert on the border. thanks. communist cuba is about to let its people leave the island for the first time about 50 years but some folks complain this move is clearly about

4:48pm

politics plus hundreds of firefighters battling this fire. what was inside that building posed an even bigger threat, that's ahead.

4:49pm

4:50pm

4:51pm

>> for the first time in decades, cuba is loosening travel restrictions on its people. many of whom have family and friends who have immigrated here to the u.s. under the current system. cubans have to get an exit permit before going abroad. folks say it's a very expensive and lengthy process. but starting this month. cubans will only need a valid passport and a visa from the country they wish to visit. the change will not benefit everybody. phil keating with more live in our south florida newsroom. phil, not everybody is going to be allowed to leave the island? right, jon, all cubans

4:52pm

consider it travel for vacation and then never go back home. people like scientists engineers chemist military, youth go going nowhere. everyone else will still first have to get a cuba passport which the cuban government will control can certainly deny. still this sends a major complaint five decades strong. >> those that can travel should travel like it used to be before and how it is around the world in every country. >> >> industry gone 10 years without seeing my father. maybe this way can i get some money together and can go. >> sure the ones that have the money, you heard not everyone can travel. when there is no money. that is for the rich. >> and reports from havana are that the wait in cuba for a u.s. visa to come here is already two years long. jon? >> jon: so for raoul castro's regime, what's the political strategy here?

4:53pm

it seems to relieve internal pressure there and apply u.s. pressure here. if cuban dissidents known as counter revolutionaries leave cuba for a vacation and never return. that's good for the commune regime. in crease the number of cases realizing they may stay permanently. the desire of the cuban government is number one let a great number leave because there is is less mouths to feed and second and probably more important is the way of putting pressure on the u.s. government to live the travel band. >> this change officially happens 11 days from tonight but in washington the u.n. state department is withholding comments waiting to see what reality brings to see if valve life and travel change for cubans actually does change at all. jon? >> phil keating live in south florida.

4:54pm

thanks, phil. our top story as we go arend a the world in 80 seconds. china. it broke out this morning at a leather plant in an eastern province. the fire reportedly spread to neighboring buildings and threatened six large oil tanks. crews sprayed cool land on to those tanks to help prevent potential explosions, nobody hurt. bangladesh. riot police battled activists from islam on sis party. the protesters are trying to stop the war crime trials. those charges stem from the 1971 war of independence with pakistan. demonstrators hurled stones at cops. they fired back with tear gas and rubber bullets and made several arrests. united kingdom. zoo keepers starting the annual animal census at the zoo. workers have-to-count more author man 17,000 animals.

4:55pm

the facility holds 750 different species from ben begins to near cats. a pair of endangered is a mat tran tigers. part of a rehearsal for the opening of the city's summer festival this weekend. the duck's designer says the 50 symbol meant to bring people together and turn the harbor into a giant bathtub and that's a rap on this fox trip around the world in will 0 seconds. scientists say somebody stumbled across a discovery they say is billions of years old. what's inside this hunk of rock could unravel some of mars biggest mysteries. that's next.

4:56pm

aig? we said we were going to turn it around, and we did. woman: we're helping joplin, missouri, come back from a devastating tornado. man: and now we're helping the t recover from hurricane sandy. we're a leading global insurance company, based right here in america. we've repaid every dollar america lent us. everything, plus a profit of more than $22 billion. for the american people. thank you, america. helping people recover and rebuild -- that's what we do. now let's bring on tomorrow. maybe you want to incorporate a business. orrotect your family with a will or living trust. and you'd like the help of an attorney. at legalzoom a legal plan attorney is available in most states with every personalized document to answer questions. get started at legalzoom.com today. and now you're protected. gea hybrid? most arezoom.com just no fun to drive. now, here's one that will make you feel alive. meet the five-passenger ford c-max hybrid. c-max says ha. c-max says wheeee.

4:57pm

which is what you get, don't you see? cause c-max has lots more horsepower than prius v, a hybrid that c-max also bests in mpg. say hi to the all-new 47 combined mpg c-max hybrid.

4:58pm

>> a meteorite from mars that's unlike any other has landed here on earth and it could give us new information about the red planet according to nasa. scientists discovered this 11-ounce rock in the desert of morocco back in 2011. they say it seems to match rocks that mars recover have studied on the difference. it's makeup is different. it contains 10 times more water and they say it's 2 billion years old. at least five times older than most other martian meteorites. it could teach us about a critical time in that planet's history. a family of bald eetion is

4:59pm

quickly becomes the internet's latest raise. for weeks now millions of folks have been turning in for updates on ozzy and hair yacht and two ig glets. set up the catch rainier the bird's nest. one of the little eagles broke out of the shell. the second apparently close to hatching. you can see it was feeding time earlier today. updating some of our top stories tonight. the house reelected speaker john boehner this afternoon despite recent dissent in the g.o.p. only a handful of lawmakers voted against him. students of a connecticut school massacre back into a different building since the shooting. bill richard shon and bill gates plan to visit north korea soon despite opposition from the u.s. state department. and on this day in 1993, the buffalo bills crawled back from a 32 point deficit in the